AIRTRICITY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION: Shamrock Rovers 1 Bohemians 0:A 42ND-MINUTE goal from Karl Sheppard was enough to hand Shamrock Rovers victory at Tallaght Stadium last night as arch rivals Bohemians were forced to concede their first away defeat of the 2011 season.
For the opening 30 minutes of this game, Bohemians matched Rovers stride for stride. As early as the second minute Aidan Price headed a Killian Brennan corner narrowly over the Rovers crossbar and, while clear chances were thin on the ground, their central midfield trio were well involved.
Ronan Finn did force Bohs goalkeeper Chris O’Connor into a smart block on 10 minutes but it was not until full back Pat Sullivan sent a 30-yard drive whistling over the bar on 29 minutes that Rovers began to dominate. Three minutes later another shot from Finn was deflected into the air and only a Liam Burns saving header denied the unwinding Gary Twigg from eight yards.
The breakthrough came just three minutes before the half-time whistle when a somewhat speculative cross from Gary McCabe on the left found the forehead of Sheppard at Bohemians’ back post.
Covering defender Price seemed rooted to the spot as Sheppard’s header flew across a similarly stationary O’Connor and inside the far post. It was a disappointment for the visitors that was very nearly doubled in the 45th minute when Ken Oman’s powerful header from a Stephen O’Donnell corner slipped inches wide of O’Connor’s right-hand post.
Seven minutes into the second half and Bohemians’ task of pegging back the league leaders became yet more difficult as Aidan Price saw a straight red for a foul on Gary Twigg. Having turned the big defender 30 yards out, Twigg was through on goal, and Price’s trailing arm gave referee Alan Kelly little choice.
However, the Phibsboro side might well have drawn level on the hour mark when a sublime ball from Robert Bayly set Christy Fagan racing through on Alan Mannus’ goal. With perhaps too much time to consider the consequences Fagan took a heavy touch at the crucial moment, allowing Mannus to save at the striker’s feet.
From here on Rovers assumed control. Gary O’Neill and Billy Dennehy entered the fray as the Hoops switched to 4-4-2, seeking to press home their advantage. Turner volleyed over from 20 yards, Sives had a shot desperately parried away by O’Connor and a succession of breaks from Dennehy provided almost constant pressure.
In the final minutes O’Connor flicked an O’Neill cross off the head of Twigg and Billy Dennehy drove on to a loose ball only to send his shot left and wide. The final whistle came before Rovers could add a second they had done enough to cement their place at the top of the table and put a little bit of daylight between them and their fiercest rivals.
SHAMROCK ROVERS:Mannus; Sullivan, Oman, Sives, Stevens; McCabe, Finn, Turner (McCormack, 85), O'Donnell (O'Neill, 68), Sheppard (Dennehy, 74); Twigg.
BOHEMIANS:O'Connor; O'Brien, Burns (Feely, 87), Price, Heary; Brennan, Bayly (Buckley, 82), Cronin, Traynor; Fagan, Flood (Dixon, 82).
Referee:A Kelly (Cork).
Att:5,700
Sheppard 42
